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ON THIS DAY

On This Day: May 10

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On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

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On May 10, 1902, David O. Selznick, who produced "Gone With the Wind" and other highly successful films, was born. Following his death on June 22, 1965, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

1774	Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.
1775	Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.
1865	Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga.
1869	A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
1899	Actor-dancer Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Neb.
1908	The first Mother's Day observance took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia.
1924	J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the federal Bureau of Investigation - the forerunner of the FBI - a job he held until his death in 1972.
1940	British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.
1941	Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission.
1994	The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.
2003	The New York Times announced that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had "committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud."
2005	Germany dedicated a national Holocaust memorial.
2008	Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush, married Henry Hager at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas.
2010	President Barack Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court.

Current Birthdays

Rock singer Bono (U2) turns 51 years old today.

AP Photo/Thibault Camus

Connecticut men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun turns 69 years old today.

AP Photo/Eric Gay

1930	Pat Summerall, Sportscaster, turns 81
1939	Gary Owens, Announcer ("Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"), turns 72
1943	David Clennon, Actor, turns 68
1944	Jim Abrahams, Writer, director ("Airplane!"), turns 67
1946	Donovan, Folk, rock singer, turns 65
1946	Dave Mason, Rock singer (Traffic), turns 65
1947	Andrew Card, Former White House chief of staff, turns 64
1958	Rick Santorum, Former U.S. senator, R-Pa., turns 53
1963	Suzan-Lori Parks, Playwright, turns 48
1965	Linda Evangelista, Model, turns 46
1967	Young MC, Rapper, turns 44
1978	Kenan Thompson, Actor ("Saturday Night Live"), turns 33
1990	Lauren Potter, Actress ("Glee"), turns 21

Historic Birthdays

David O. Selznick5/10/1902 - 6/22/1965American film producer.Go to obituary »

71	William Grace 5/10/1832 - 3/21/1904 Irish-born American shipowner; founder of W. R. Grace & Company
26	John Wilkes Booth 5/10/1838 - 4/26/1865 American actor; assassinated President Abraham Lincoln
81	Sir Thomas Lipton 5/10/1850 - 10/2/1931 Scottish-born English merchant; built Lipton tea empire
82	Karl Barth 5/10/1886 - 12/9/1968 Swiss theologian
90	Einar Gerhardsen 5/10/1897 - 9/19/1987 Norwegian politician; prime minister four times between 1945 and 1965
83	Ariel Durant 5/10/1898 - 10/25/1981 Russian-born American writer; co-wrote "The Story of Civilization"
88	Fred Astaire 5/10/1899 - 6/22/1987 American dancer and actor
69	Maybelle Carter 5/10/1909 - 10/23/1978 American singer, songwriter and guitarist
61	Ella Grasso 5/10/1919 - 2/5/1981 American politician; governor of Connecticut (1975-80)
69	Nancy Walker 5/10/1922 - 3/25/1992 American movie and television actress